Sunken handle



May 28, 1957 F. MUHLHAUSER SUNKEN HANDLE Filed Aug. 13, 1954 1 9.1

INVENTOR. fiw'lz MzzZaawZW United States Patent SUNKEN HANDLE Fritz Muhlhauser, Fox River Grove, Ill.

Application August 13, 1954, Serial No. 449,688

2 Claims. (Cl. 16-124) This invention relates to improvements in sunken handles.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved sunken handle that may be used for drawers, doors and the like, which may be readily attached without the use of screws, nails or other permanent fastening means and which may be attached without the use of tools.

Another object of this invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive improved sunken handle which is attached in position merely by the insertion of same thereby reducing the time for installation to a minimum, yet when attached is positively locked in position for permanent use.

Other objects will become apparent as this description progresses.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a front perspective view showing this invention secured to a drawer panel or the like.

Fig. 2 is a view taken from the rear or back of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on lines 33 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a rear perspective view of the handle.

The front panel of the drawer or door or similar article to which it is desired to attach the sunken handle is designated by the numeral 10. The front panel is provided with a rectangular shaped opening 12 into which is inserted the rear portion of the sunken handle. The sunken handle being generally designated by the numeral 14 may be made preferably of a plastic material, but any other material may likewise be used.

The sunken handle 14 may be integrally molded or stamped and the front portion which is substantially rectangular in shape and designated by the numeral 16 is adapted to be positioned in front of the opening and rest against the panel 10. The front portion 16 has a fiat surface 18 and a rearwardly extending inclined border 20 extending on all sides therefrom. The handle has a rectangular shaped finger or hand engageable recess or depression generally designated at 22 which is formed of a top flat horizontal wall 23 which extends upwardly vertically as at 24 to define a longitudinal top channel 26. The vertical section 24 extends rearwardly horizontally as at 27 then downwardly vertically to form the rear wall 28 of the handle then forwardly at an inclined plane to form the bottom wall 30 of the sunken portion which joins with the flat surface 18. The opposite sides 32 of the sunken portion are inclined inwardly from the front surface 18 to the rear wall 28.

To secure the handle to the drawer or other panel 10, there is provided a metal clip generally designated by the numeral 34 and commercially known as a Timmerman fastener. This fastener has a body portion 36 provided with a forwardly extending spaced hook 38 which is clipped on the lower edge 11 of the drawer panel adjacent the opening 12. The clip extends upwardly as at 40 into the rectangular opening 12 to engage the bottom inclined 2,793,386 Patented May 28, 1957 wall 30 of the sunken handle14'. The clip also extends below the opening and a portion of same engages the rear of the drawer panel as at 42. If one clip is used as shown it is positioned centrally of the width of the opening 12. If more than one clip is used they may be equally spaced. The clip 34 merely serves to maintain the handle 14 in a raised position as best shown in Fig. 3 so that the portion 13 of the panel which is adjacent the upper edge of the opening 14 nests within the channel 26 with the rear side of the panel resting against the vertical wall 24 of the handle and the front side of the panel against the rear edge of the top of the border 20. By maintaining the handle in this raised position all the pressure that is exerted against the handle in pulling out the drawer is confined to the area of the panel adjacent the channel 26 and no such pressure is exerted against the clip 34. It will be seen that the inclined bottom wall 30 is spaced from the lower edge 11 of the panel.

To install the handle, the clip 34 is first secured to the front drawer panel as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The handle 14 is then inserted from the front of the drawer so that the front 16 is positioned against the front of the drawer panel, with the top channel 26 locating itself to lock therewith in the top section 13 of the drawer panel. The clip 34 bearing against the tapered bottom wall 30 of the sunken handle urges the handle upward, thus the handle will be locked to the front drawer panel through the channel 26.

The distance between the rear edge 21 of the border 20 of the handle and the front of the vertical wall 24 of the channel is equal to the thickness of the panel of the drawer.

The handle is engaged by positioning the fingers in the upper portion of handle rearwardly of the channel or the wall 24, thus a forward pull on the handle will exert pressure on the upper edge adjacent the channel.

It will be understood that various changes may be made from the foregoing without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A handle for use with a drawer or the like which drawer has a front panel and an opening, said handle being integrally formed and having a front wall section and a rearwardly extending sunken body portion which includes a rear wall, said body portion having a channel rearwardly of the front wall section adapted to receive the edge of the drawer panel adjacent said opening, said channel having a wall section abutting against the rear of the front panel with the rear of the front Wall section of the handle abutting against the front of the front panel so that any pressure on said handle is confined to said panel edge, means secured on the opposite edge of said panel and extending into said opening and engaging the sunken body portion to urge said handle in the direction in which the first mentioned edge of the panel is confined in said channel to keep said wall sections of the handle abutting against said front panel.

2. A handle for use with a drawer or the like which drawer has a front panel and an opening, said handle being integrally formed and having a front wall section and a rearwardly extending sunken body portion which includes a rear wall, said body portion having a channel rearwardly of the front wall section adapted to receive the upper edge of the drawer panel adjacent said opening, said channel having a wall section abutting against the rear of the front panel so that any pressure on said handle is confined to said upper edge, a clip member secured on the lower edge of said panel and extending into said opening and engaging said rearwardly extending sunken body of the handle to urge said handle upwardly to confine the upper edge of the panel in said channel and maintain said wall section of said channel gainst the rear of the fro nt 1,976,118

panel. 2,094,413

References Cited in the file of this patent 2'341093 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 747,167 Hahn Dec. 15, 1903 11,450

4 Cruikshank Oct. 9, 1934 Schonitzer Sept. 28, 1937 Haberstump Feb. 8, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain July 16, 1914 

